Five simple steps to help protect your heart

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7 best foods for heart health — ©iStockphotos

Mortality due to cardiovascular system diseases has remained consistently high for many years, so taking care of heart health is very important, especially if you are at risk (smoke, suffer from diabetes, obesity or hypertension, lead a sedentary lifestyle, etc.).

Maintaining the normal functioning of the “motor” of our body is not as difficult as it seems at first glance. Here are some simple steps to help protect your heart.

Get enough sleep

Chronic sleep deprivation can wreak havoc on the entire body, including the cardiovascular system. An adult needs an average of 7-9 hours of sleep, and if you sleep four hours a day, sooner or later, your body will say, “Enough to endure this,” and your life will turn into endless visits to hospitals.

Don’t sacrifice long, quality sleep, especially if you already have heart problems, or they will quickly progress.

Go in for sports

Regular cardio exercise is an excellent prevention of cardiovascular disease. Such workouts help normalize blood pressure and cholesterol, increase endurance, reduce body fat, reduce inflammation in the body and relieve stress well, quickly raising your mood.

Cardio activities include walking, running, swimming, dancing, cycling, etc.

Chat with pets

Communicating with pets can be both enjoyable and rewarding. For example, dogs force their owners to walk at least twice a day, thereby providing them with regular cardio exercises. Interacting with the cat can help relieve stress and reduce blood pressure and heart rate.

Visit your dentist regularly

As strange as it may sound, dental infections increase the risk of developing heart disease almost three times. Poor dental health can affect the function of the heart valves and the heartbeat, making our “motor” work especially hard.

So do not forget to visit your dentist regularly: this is necessary not only for a beautiful smile but also for the cardiovascular system.

Reduce stress levels

Stress plays a vital role in the development of heart disease: after all, it increases blood pressure, increases heart rate, and provokes the emergence of unhealthy habits (smoking, overeating, alcohol abuse).

Therefore, dealing with stress is very important. Fortunately, there are many ways to get rid of it, and most of them are affordable and straightforward.

Note* Always consult your doctor or other qualified health care professional for any questions you may have about your health or condition. Never disregard a health care professional’s advice or delay getting it because of what you read on this website.